Faithful Tears
by VocalAurora
Summary: Lucy loved Natsu. They had a magical night together after a mission, but she finds Lisanna confessing her love to Natsu and Natsu doing the same! Natsu can't stop Lucy from leaving, and she never comes back. 8 years later, three strangers that are part of a notorious Dark Guild show up at Fairy Tail asking for help...?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Ok, Lu-chan, you have to tell me _everything_!" The blue haired girl stated to the blonde she was walking with. They were coming from the library, the day after said blonde had returned from a mission with Fairy Tail's Strongest Team.

The blonde blushed and stuttered. "O-okay, well it started a week ago during our mission when I got badly hurt, and Natsu got pissed, as usual. But after going on his rampage, he suddenly hugged me and told me that he was so worried and would die if anything were to happen to me." At this, she blushed even deeper and readjusted the manuscript in her hands. "Then, that night, we kinda…got together…" She trailed off out of embarrassment.

Levy gasped and giggled. "And then~?"

"N-natsu told me that he loved…." Lucy broke off, stopping in her tracks. She was staring at the Sakura tree at the center of Magnolia Town, where a pink-haired fire mage stood with a silver-haired transformation mage, their conversation reaching their ears. "Me." She finished as Levy Registered what was said between the two wizards under the tree.

"Natsu, I love you. I have since we were kids!" The silver-haired girl stated, rather loudly. The Salamander blinked a few timed, a blush creeping up his face.

"Lisanna, I…I love you too. I've always loved you, and I think I'll always-" Natsu was cut off as a loud, pained laugh rang through the air. Levy whipped her head around to see that the laugh was coming from her best friend, standing next to her. Natsu's eyes widened in shock as he realized they had been overheard. Suddenly, the laugh cut off as Lucy simply stared at the two with a blank face, before pivoting on her heels and running down the street, towards the Guild.

It took Natsu a moment to get over his paralysis, and when he did he tore off after her, calling her name. Levy chewed her lip, before deciding to follow, in case she was needed to interfere. She found the two face to face near the side of Fairy Tail.

"Lucy, I can explain-" Natsu began, but was cut off by another painful laugh, one that made Levy want to cry for her BFF.

"No, I get it now." Lucy said, when she finished laughing. "God, how could I have been so stupid? You know, you are quite the actor, Natsu Dragneel." Natsu's eyes widened with surprise and confusion. "But the worst part is, I actually believed you when you said you loved me. I _actually_ believed you were different from all the other guys that showed an interest in me. Serves me right, for opening up my heart like that. Now tell me, do you tell every girl you want to sleep with that you love them?"

Natsu wore an expression like he had been slapped. "No! I really do love you, Lucy! I love you so much it hurts!"

"But you love Lisanna." Lucy inquired, her face a mask of disbelief and pain. "I gave my first time to you, and then you turn around and do _this_. Natsu, you know you can't have both of us. You need to choose, and you need to choose _now, _'cuz I'm done waiting."

Natsu hesitated, thinking. It was obvious that he saw the deep pain and anger in Lucy's eyes, and it tore him to pieces. "I…I can't…" He choked out. Lucy gave him a rueful smile, whirling around.

"It's your lucky day, Natsu Dragneel. I'll choose for you. Then you can go and sleep with Lisanna and get her pregnant, too. I wish the two of you the _best of luck_." She threw open the doors of the Fairy Tail Guild and stalked inside.

**..O..**

Natsu's insides were tearing apart with pain and grief as he watched his blonde goddess storm into the Guild. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. _Wait, does that mean…_ He didn't have time to think. His body went after her before his mind could catch up and he grabbed her shoulder when he caught up to her in the middle of the Guild's main floor. Suddenly, she slapped his hand away.

"_DON'T TOUCH ME!" _Lucy cried out, tears finally spilling over her cheeks. "Don't you dare _ever_ touch me again." This time, it was barely a whisper, something even he could barely hear. His heart felt like it had been torn out as he saw the deep despair and pain that was deep rooted into the chocolate orbs he had always loved to stare into.

Natsu could only watch as Lucy, his Lucy, paced to the mission bored, snatched a paper, and disappeared through the doors of Fairy Tail, never to be seen again.

**..O..**

As Lucy made her way to the exit, she hoped Natsu would realize that with every step she took, the pain was tearing her apart.

**..O..**

While most of the Guild didn't say it, they knew Natsu was to blame for Lucy's leaving and/or disappearance. Even Lisanna was mad at him for a time, but eventually forgave him, since that was her nature.

Levy was the angriest at Natsu for what he did, and she wasn't afraid to show it. It was the first time Fairy Tail had seen a Levy this angry, and for a while most of the Guild did their best to keep the two from meeting face to face for fear of what would go down. It was also during this time that Levy revealed the conversation that had gone between Lucy and Natsu.

When she recited the part about "getting Lisanna pregnant, too" the entire room fell silently as the unsaid beame clear: Lucy had been pregnant, and with Natsu's child. When Levy finally confronted the oblivious Natsu about it, he was silent for a very long time before stalking out on a solo mission. When he came back, he wanted nothing more than to search for, find, and drag Lucy back to the Guild. He finally realized he wanted _her_, and he wanted to be in his unborn child's life.

As the years passed, what searches that had been allowed had come to nothing, and eventually it was only Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, the Exceeds, and Levy that continued their search in their free time.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Ch.1**_

**8 Years Later**

"Hurry _up_!" A young, blonde boy calls to a little girl. "Mom said to be back before dark, and the sun is almost set!" He huffed impatiently as his ADD younger twin got distracted by every little thing that interested her. Eventually, he snapped and grabbed her wrist, dragging her towards their home without allowing her any rest.

"That _hurts._ Kaoru! How dare you be so rough with a lady!" The girl whined, pulling her hand out of his grip, stopping to rub her wrist while flipping her spiky pink hair out of her face. "We have plenty of time! And even if mama gets angry, papa can just calm her down again!" Her eyes drifted to a little white moth that was fluttering in a spider's web. "Poor thing!" She muttered, reaching out to free the insect. Suddenly, a dark fuzzy creature the size of a large dog popped up and snatched the moth and spider into its mouth, curious by the taste.

The girl's face was a mask of horror as the boy, Kaoru, busted out laughing. "C'mon, Kaori, it's just a moth! And obviously, Chubaka wanted a taste." He cracked up even more as Kaori took a flaming swing at him. The fuzzy creature, Chubaka, made a face at the taste of the insects and promptly spat them out in pieces, revealing the white splotches that marked his mural coat as he ruffled his feather wings.. "Athough he didn't seem to like it."

"KAORI! KAORU! YOU BETTER BE HERE BY _YESTERDAY_!" An angry, feminine voice boomed. The twins looked at each other with wide eyes and took off in the direction of the voice, hoping to get there in time.

They arrived, panting, at a large building with the word "Thanatos" printed in large, intimidating letters over a pair of large, black oak doors. They slowly opened the doors and strode into a large, dark room with candles hanging from the steep ceiling. Two staircases spiraled around the room, each floor above the second loaded with books on crimson shelves. The first floor, regarded as the "Lounge" by the members of the Dark Guild, Had a bar along one wall. The floor was black marble, and leather furniture was scattered around the high tables and booths.

The second floor had a throne room-like set up, with two throne-like chairs. In these chairs sat two cloaked figures, one a manly, built form and the other a very curvaceous feminine form, the owner of the voice from before.

The members of the Guild gave the twins glances of pity, as they had also heard the call of their Matriarch. The young eight-year-olds gulped as they climbed the stairs, knowing they weren't in any real danger, but scared nonetheless.

When they reached their destination, the woman knelt down and emvbraced the children, much to their surprise. "Don't you _dare_ ever worry me like that again, got it?" The woman told them in a quiet, exasperated voice. They nodded and were released, turning to the male figure. He smiled and removed his hood, reaching out to ruffle the hair of both twins. "You have no idea how worried we were when the sun had set and you two hadn't returned." The man said in a deep, rich voice. The kids fidgeted and apologized, having no idea why their parents had been so worried.

The woman removed her hood as well, sending straight blonde hair identical to the boy's cascading down her shoulders. She smiled lovingly down at the two. "Now, you two seem utterly exhausted. Why don't you go to your room and chill out for a bit?" As the children nodded and headed towards their room, the man slipped an arm around the older woman's shoulders. "Lucy, are you ever going to tell them?" He whispered in her ear, causing her to tense. "Maybe, but only if they figure something out and ask me. But right now, it's too painful to tell them. What if they hate me for keeping it from them, Yuuto?" Lucy whispered back.

"Well, being in this guild will probably cause them to meet with _that_ Guild, so I would think it's inevitable. The longer you wait, the harder it'll be to tell them. They need their real father." Yuuto stated.

"For all they care, _you_ are their father. You helped raise them, you helped care for them. You've showed them all the love that a father can give. They call you their father." At this, Yuuto flushed a bit. He wrapped his arms around her waist in full view of the entire Dark Guild, warranting a chorus of whistles and a punch from Lucy. "Hey! Not so rough!" Yuuto cried out in mock pain.

Once he was done teasing and getting hit, the dark man turned serious. "Are you really going to go on that solo mission?" When the woman bobbed her head once, he sighed. "You better come back, okay? This mission could be very dangerous, if your speculations and Circinus are correct. Even if you _do_ succeed."

Lucy nodded, hitching her travelling bag over her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Take care of the kids while I'm gone, ok?" She turned to see Kaoru standing a few feet away. "Kaoru, honey, why aren't you in your room?"

"How long?" He asked simply, his chin set, determined to get an answer. Lucy considered feigning ignorance or lying to him, but knew he wouldn't buy it. She silently cursed his intelligence. "I don't know, but most likely around five days." Kaoru nodded before giving a toothy grin, one that he most definitely _hadn't_ inherited from her. "We'll be waiting."

**..O..**

"KAITO!" A small girl with short crimson hair screeched as she pounced on the young ice mage. "Take it back, _NOW!_" The boy struggled helplessly under the girl's grip before trying to form an ice block around her iron grip. She was suddenly yanked off the boy by a woman with identical crimson hair.

"Rin! How many times have I told you not to let your temper get the best of you?" She set the fuming child on a bar stool to cool off, ignoring her mutterings of "he started it" and "he deserved it". When her mother wasn't looking, she slipped off the stool and silently exited the building, heading towards her favorite place to cool down and/or sulk.

Gray Fullbuster looked at his icy son. "One day, Erza isn't gonna be here to stop Rin from flattening you, you know. You'd better stop teasing her like that." He pointed out. Kaito simply shrugged, mumbling a "whatever" before making a crane made of ice. Gray sighed at his son, who seemed to keep his heart in a chest of ice.

A small girl of roughly six years old watched the entire situation with a smile. "They get along so well!" She exclaimed, not noticing the eye rolling she received from the surrounding mages. Levy chuckled and finished combing her daughter's straight, black hair and put it in a high ponytail. "If you really believe that, Shun, then okay. Although, I'm not too sure." A large, muscled man stated, looking down at the child. She looked up at the man with her crimson eyes and grinned innocently before hopping down and running to tackle Kaito, asking to play.

Suddenly, the doors swung open as a certain Dragon Slayer strode in, sitting at the bar and ordering a drink and some spicy ramen. He laughed when bubbly little Shun told him what has conspired just before his entrance, although his smile never reached his eyes.

Levy promptly ignored the fire mage as approached. "Did you find anything, Natsu?" She asked vaguely, although everyone in the Guild knew what she was referring to, even the children. Natsu's face darkened as he shook his head, and his blue exceed looked like he was about to cry…again. Erza nodded and retreated as Mirajane set a bowl of steaming spicy ramen in front of the Salamander, along with an alcoholic beverage, and gave Happy a fish.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Ch.2**_

Rin sighed, content in her tree, but her mind kept going back to the incident from several minutes before. Kaito had smirked cruelly at her as he told her, once again, how much her hair resembled blood. She hated this reference, and everyone knew it. What was worse was that Kaito wasn't the only one who teased her about her hair. Although her mother also had crimson hair, it wasn't as rich and deep as hers.

Rin looked down when she heard rustling below, wondering if someone had found her secret, sacred place. She crouched and pounced on the that was moving, tackling someone and ready to beat the living daylights out of whoever had come to tease her once again.

"Oof!" Rin recoiled, not recognizing this voice. She found herself looking at a pair of onyx eyes as deep as the abyss, and her eyes widened. "Who…who are you, and w-what are you doing here?" She managed to get out, captivated by those eyes.

"I should be asking you that, since you're the one that attacked me." Rin blinked, finally able to get a better picture of the boy in front of her. He had beautiful blonde hair pulled back into a small ponytail, His bangs framing his face. He wore a dark cloak, so she couldn't see what he was wearing underneath, but she could see that he had on black leather boots. His eyes seemed to scrutinize her as she had done to him, before hesitating on her hair.

"That's some hair you have. Almost reminds me of…" He paused, seeming to search for the the correct word.

"Blood?" Rin finished for him, smiling ruefully. She wondered why she hadn't seem this coming, and readied herself to attack. His laughing caught her by surprise.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a scarlet rose, but I guess it's whatever floats your boat." Rin flushed, lowering her fist. "A…rose? But that would indicate that my hair would be pretty. My hair is definitely _not _a rose. It's more like blood: red, gross, ugly…" She lowered her eyes, her self-esteem lowering even more as she repeated what the other kids had said. She jumped when a hand lifted a strand of her hair, and her eyes widened when she saw the boy was only inches away from her.

"You're wrong. Your hair is beautiful, just like a freshly bloomed rose. If anyone tells you differently, then they're just jealous." The boy grinned good-naturedly at her, and she found herself falling into his endless abysmal eyes, until a voice broke through.

"Hey, this is no time to flirt, Kaoru! We're trying to find Fairy Tail, remember?" Rin looked up to see a young girl with long, spiky pink hair that seemed oddly familiar to her. The girl had chocolate brown eyes and a cloak identical to the boy's, with leather boots of a similar style. Next to her stood a tall man with long raven black hair tied in a low ponytail with a muscular build. He, too, had a dark cloak on, though his boots weren't leather, but a similar material.

The boy rolled his eyes at the girl. "I know, I was just about to ask her." He turned back to Rin. "Can you tell us where the guild Fairy Tail is?" Rin blinked and nodded. "I'm actually a part of that guild. I'll lead you there…" She stood and immediately started walking towards the Guild, the three strangers following her like shadows, silent and nearly unnoticeable.

After a few minutes of weaving through Magnolia Town, the four of them stood at the doorway to the strongest wizard's guild in all of Fiore. She looked at the strangers through her peripheral before pushing open the doors to her second home.

**..O..**

Natsu turned around as a strange scent wafted through his nose, slightly familiar. Gajeel and Wendy also reacted, looking at the door expectantly. Sora, Wendy's son, fidgeted in her arms as the door suddenly swung open to reveal Rin. However, that was not what caused the entire Guild to suddenly go quiet.

It was the three cloaked figures behind her.

Erza suddenly leapt up and snatched her daughter away from the strangers, and the entire Guild went on Red Alert. The figures strode in, the tall one in front, while the two child-like figures trailed behind, seemingly nervous. The leader was the one who spoke. "This is Fairy Tail? I would like to speak to your Guild Master immediately."

Natsu growled and stepped in front of the man. "And why do you need to speak to the old man?" He stared into the darkness of the man's hood, seeing the two sky blue eyes that peeked out. Something about this man pissed him off, and he was about to grab him when a voice made him stop.

"Natsu, step away." Natsu looked behind him to see Master Makarov standing behind him. He begrudgingly obeyed, but stayed close, just in case. Makarov stepped up to the figure. "Remove your hood, child, and state your business. I am Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail."

The figure nodded and swiped his hand towards his hood, knocking it off of his head. Most of the girls gasped as they saw the face of the man, his sky blue eyes and raven hair, tied behind him like a samurai. The man knelt before the old Master.

"I am Yuuto, Patriarch of Thanatos. I have come to you to make an urgent request." At the name of the Dark Guild, many of the wizards got ready to fight. Gray stepped up. "Why would Fairy Tail, a _legal guild_, help anyone of Thanatos? If you've come to start a fight, or threaten us, I'll remind tou that you're greatly outnumbered, especially since your companions don't seem very formidable." Many cheers went up around the room, while a low, feminine growl came from under one of the smaller hoods.

Makarov waved a hand for silence, and the room fell silent once again. Yuuto spoke, his rich voice filling the room. "Because, fulfilling this request can get you back what you've lost." Natsu's eyes widened, and this time it was Levy who stepped forward. "W-what do you mean?"

Yuuto swept his gaze over the small, blue haired girl, and Gajeel stepped protactively in front of her. "Levy, correct? I've heard a lot about you. You know, she never forgot about you." Levy's eyes widened as she collapsed to her knees. "Y-you mean…is she okay?" She choked out. Natsu was speechless, finally understanding.

"What is your request, Yuuto of Thanatos?" Makarov asked, redirecting Yuuto's attention back to him. "I would like you to send a team to help me recover Lucy Heartfilia, Matriarch of Thanatos."


	4. Chapter 3

_**Ch.3**_

Fairy Tail was dead quiet for several moments, before a certain blue exceed spoke up. "Impossible! Lucy-san would never be part of a Dark Guild!" Happy flew towards Yuuto of Thanatos with an angry speed before Natsu grabbed him. "Happy's right! Do you have any proof of your claim?" He growled. Yuuro gave him a knowing smile.

"Here's all the proof you need." He swept his hand behind him towards the two cloaked children. In unison, they reached up to pull their hoods away from their heads, earning a collective gasp. Everyone could see the resemblance.

Aside from his straight, blonde hair, the boy was a spitting image of the eight-year-old Natsu from the past. The girl was also identical to Lucy, except for her long, spiky pink hair, which she inherited from her father. They both held their heads high, only their slight fidgeting betraying their nervousness.

Makarov nodded towards the children. "What are your names, little ones?" While the girl obviously didn't like being called little, she seemed to shy to speak, so the boy stepped towards, bowing respectfully towards the old man.

"My name is Kaoru Heartfilia, and my sister here-" He pulled her forwards and pushed her head down in a bow,"-Is Kaori Heartfilia. We are the twin children of Lucy Heartfilia, Matriarch of Thanatos." All was quiet as they rose from their bow. The girl spotted the three exceeds and, having forgotten about the crowd of people in the room, asked "What are thos cat creatures? They look so cute! Don't they, Kaoru? Although we better keep them away from Chewy, or he'd probably try to eat them." Kaoru face palmed at her statement, and PantherLily puffed up.

"I would _not_ let myself get eaten!" Happy wore a horrified face at the thought of Charle getting eaten. "I would die before letting Charle get eaten by anything!" Despite themselves, Rin and Shun cracked up at the thought of anything eating the Exceeds, earning them both a smack upside their heads from Erza. Natsu was frozen in place as he stared at his children.

"Very well, we will help, but not for you, Yuuto of Thanatos. We will help for the sake of our child, Lucy, and her children, who are inadvertently also children of this guild. Erza, Gray, Wendy, Levy, and Natsu will join you. Kaoru and Kaori, you are free to stay here at the Guild for as long as you want. Yuuto is welcome as a guest until your departure tomorrow morning." Makarov turned and retreated to his office.

Kaoru and Kaori were ready to argue that they were _not_ staying while their mother was missing, but a look from Yuuto kept them quiet.

**..O..**

Yuuto found himself at the bar, watching as Natsu stalked up to him and others backed away. He took a sip of water before the Salamander spoke.

"I don't think you should be coming along." He growled. Yuuto raised an eyebrow, inviting Natsu to continue. "You're the leader of a Dark Guild, we don't know you, and I sure as hell don't trust you!" The man was surprised when he laughed.

"Oh really? I think I have more of a right to go and find her than you do." At Natsu's Death Glare, Yuuto felt the need to elaborate. "_I_ wasn't the one who strung her along. _I_ wasn't the one who _cheated_ on her after taking her first time. _I_ wasn't the one who made her start hating herself. And _I_ sure as hell wasn't the one who drove her into a tight shell." Yuuto dodged a flaming fist, leaving it to hit the bar counter.

"_SHUT UP!" _Natsu boomed, readying himself to take another swing. He stopped himself as Levy stepped in between the men and turned a glare on Natsu.

"Although I must thank you, Natsu Dragneel. If it weren't for you breaking her heart like that, she and I wouldn't have meet. We wouldn't have formed Thanatos, and she wouldn't have gotten over you thanks to me. If it weren't for what you did to her, I wouldn't be a father in _every way_ to those children except for blood."

Almost as if on cue, the small pink haired girl appeared at Yuuto's elbow. "Papa, is that guy causing you problems? I could beat him up for you!" She said, giving Natsu a look that said _Don't mess with me_ that was identical to Natsu's, and warranting a chuckle from Yuuto. "No, sweetheart, there's no need for that. Now you go on with Kaoru and play with those other kids." He turned her by her shoulders towards the group of mage kids talking in the corner and gave her a little pat on her but to get her going. He gave a victorious look towards Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer stormed out of the building, knowing he might destroy the place in rage.

Levy shook her head at him and turned to Yuuto. "Finally, someone who thinks like I do about this matter." She muttered. "But tell me about Lu-chan, has she changed at all?"

Yuuto smiled and shook his head. "I don't think so. She's very fierce when she gets angry, but still kind when calm and happy. Although she always puts on a sad smile when talking or thinking about Fairy Tail and what she left behind." Levy smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. Gajeel put an arm around her for comfort and she looked up at him gratefully.

"Did she change her appearance at all?" Erza was the one who asked this question, although Gray, Mirajane, Wendy, and Levy also wanted to know. Yuuto laughed and nodded, taking out a picture. "This was taken only a few months ago." He showed it to the group and they gasped. The picture took place in a beautiful meadow, and in the meadow stood a woman, half turned as if she heard her name. Her golden hair was waist length and blowing in in the wind along with some loose flowers. She wore a tight black jumpsuit, although one leg was the length of a pair of short shorts while the other reached her ankle. She wore a pair of heeled leather boots that almost reached her knees.

A black band wrapped around her bare thigh, along with a tattoo of a heart being run through with a dagger. A studded belt sat at an angle on her hips, and a chain hung from it, connecting at the front and back on the left side of the belt. On the right side was a leather pouch of keys and her signature whip coiled around it. Her waist and torso were encased in a dark crimson corset with black lacing. The expression on her face was calm and kind, and she obviously had a sweet spot for whoever had called her name. An indication of who had called her name was shown at the bottom right corner, the object of her attention, where a strand of pink hair could be seen.

"She grew out her hair…" Was all Levy could say as she turned and hugged Gajeel. "She looks so different, but her expression still says 'same old Lu-chan'." Happy laughed, and Charle nodded mutely.


End file.
